Tie Down Points (Star Type)

Published: July 23, 2025
Company: Brengun

These brass pad eyes have a good appearance to them with a slight bit of texture just on the inside diameter. I think this will help it take paint and give some depth to the inside of the pad. On the real ones, this section rolls down into the bowl, so having a slightly different tone on the ID should give an appearance of depth. These pad eyes measure out at 5/16 inches in diameter, at 1:32 scale, that is 10 inches. Check your references to make sure this matches the assembly or carrier deck you are working with. The brass is a pretty standard thickness. They should lie down nicely for a diorama. I like that there are only two attachment points, making it simpler to clean up the edges of the brass for installation. My approach has been to drill shallow holes, using a drill press so… more

F-16A Falcon J-364 "Solo Display 1997-1998" Royal Netherlands Air Force

Published: July 22, 2025
Company: Syhart Decal

This is another value-added set having both decals and masks. The modeler will have an option for how to replicate the demo scheme. For striping this set supplies only the white decals. One heads-up related to the white color; the graphics decals and the striping decals are not an exact color match. The graphics like the hearts on the fuselage strakes appear to be slightly off-white, almost white-grey.

There is a set of masks that can be used for the white striping and a small stripe of the red from the leading edge of the wing up to the nose of the cockpit canopy. Without the red and blue striping as decals the masks may be the better option from this set.

When you look at the individual decals, what caught my eye right off the bat was how well the placards look. The… more

Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate

Published: January 20, 2025
Company: AFV Club

Overview

This is a new tool kit that they did it right. 6 options for anti-submarine and anti-aircraft fits. Accessories include a small photoetch fret that adds to the model, harpoon missiles, and three different SH-60B Seahawk models as well. I think AFV Club has put together a nicely detailed ship. Plenty of options, plus the instructions have good call-outs for those options that are well organized. I had a few quandaries as I went but nothing that I couldn’t resolve between multiple photos from the instructions and art. The fact that the microscopic pin and hole alignment for the masts actually functioned said a lot for the way they molded this kit. I found the hangar bay doors and the hangar bay itself didn’t fit without trimming and my original boxing had 2 B sprues… more

Acrylic Paints Set for Animals

Published: November 17, 2024
Company: ICM

ICM has an expansive line of these acrylic sets and I was anxious to try them out. To see how they apply and what sheen they have as they dry, I pulled out a Saber-Tooth Tiger to paint for my son’s D&D games. Getting started I applied a dab of paint to a strip of white Styrene to determine how the colors would dry. Everything matched the color swatch on the box except the light flesh. It was definitely lighter than the swatch. For the tiger, I darkened it up with the deep brown for several layers. I also struggled to create pink. Originally given the pig on the box, I thought this would be possible. However, I couldn’t get this color with the orange. I intended to use it for the inside of the tiger’s jaws. Doing a figure gave me the opportunity to try a few different styles of… more

Instrument Panel IP Spitfire Mk.VIII/IX Early

Published: November 5, 2024
Company: Yahu Models

These sets from Yahu Models have intrigued me for a while now. This opportunity to do the review through IPMS was the perfect opportunity to try them out. I just happen to have a 1/24 Spit in my stash.

Each of the parts was made of a thicker piece of metal than the usual photoetch. That made removal from the fret less likely to bend any of the corners or edges. The detail is crisp and legible. The whole IP has a variety of color and metal tones in addition to the black background, making it an interesting piece to the eye upon installation. The lever for the flaps looks like it has enough metal on the mounting point to create the hinge assembly but alas, in this gauge metal, I could not bend the very narrow tabs. I installed it flat to the panel and it gives the requisite look to… more

USS Midway Pt 3: Flight Deck & Island

Published: June 16, 2024
Company: Trumpeter

Intro

This last part has only 2 key elements really, the flight deck and the island. However, there are a lot of individual steps that make this as long as the other 2 parts of the ship already completed (hull and hangar bay). The fine details really come together around the flight deck. Take note of the order in which you want to handle the assembly. For instance, doing some of the PE on the flight deck would be best done before attaching the island so you can flip the carrier over for ease of assembly. With that, let’s head for our home port...

Flight Deck

The real story here has to be the fit. Two perspectives drive that conclusion, 1^st is that after all those individual hangar bay walls were fit and glued in days ahead of time everything aligned… more

USS Midway Pt 1: Hangar Bay Deck

Published: May 5, 2024
Company: Trumpeter

Intro

Shore Patrol is mustering everyone back to the ship, time to start our 2^nd leg of this journey...In this review we’ll install the flight deck, all the armament and ancillary pieces from part 1, build up the hangar deck walls, and fit out the ship with railings, ladders, and nets. This is a really extensive, and sometimes repetitive part of the build. There are probably several ways to do it, I have a different approach in mind for the next one I build as a matter of fact. So let’s see how it came together.

Bow

Overall the bow went together rather nicely. I was worried about how the deck above it would fit. These two assemblies are done separately and then joined together with 6 struts on top and 2 on the bottom. Given the upper deck isn’t done… more

USS Midway Pt 2: Armament & Ancillaries

Published: May 4, 2024
Company: Trumpeter

Intro

I was excited to see the upcoming launch of Trumpeter’s USS Midway and jumped at the chance to do this review. The DKM H-Class was a terrific ship to build - if the Midway is as good as that, or better, this will be an enjoyable build for sure. As I got into the build the 3 characteristics of Trumpeter’s ship kits that I think set them apart from others showed up right away: first sprue gate locations are strategically placed so that whenever possible they are on a surface not visible in profile thus requiring no sanding, second the PE is very forgiving with a distinct “snick” when cutting the PE from the fret along with a softness that allows it to be re-bent at least once without breaking, and third a level of detail on even the smallest part that requires a macro-lens… more

DKM H Class Battleship

Published: October 15, 2023
Company: Trumpeter

Intro

I have to tell you that I bet there will be a couple jealous reviewers out there after they see this ship, wishing they had jumped on the review opportunity! The quality of this kit is really worth it, and it was an exciting ship to build based on the detail level and the overall engineering. Trumpeter has thought through a number of significant elements that make the build feel easier. For instance, thoughtful orientation of sprue gates such that almost no marring occurs on visible surfaces, and error proofing orientation by using 2 different sized alignment pins on parts. You’ll find top-notch photo-etch in the kit, easy to nip off the sprue and not so hardened that it breaks if you bend it the wrong way the first time and have to reverse the bend. Lastly you’ll have… more

RAAF Fighter F/A-18A Hornet NO.77SQ 77th Anniversary

Published: October 10, 2023
Company: Platz

Intro

WOW, I’ve always loved the Platz kits and was I surprised to find 2 kits in the box! Initially, I was thinking about what a hard choice it would be to decide on wheels up or down. Not with this kit :D So, I love the box art for the 40th Anniversary livery and decided that had to be the in-flight version and the low-vis aircraft would be parked.

The Kit

Two things stand out, the way parts are designed to fit together and the detail. Engraved panel lines were clear everywhere except the nose of both aircraft. Some sanding and a fine scriber will clear this up. Parts are practically a snap fit I noted. A unique element in a kit this small is that both retracted and extended gear doors. No cutting and trimming to get a set to fit. And the ordnance! Wait… more